Official Languages Committee on Dec. 7th, 2010

[Luc Portelance]

We certainly do. I think the challenge for these sorts of discussions is that we legitimately on areas where we have complaints, where we have problems. Mr. Sabourin talked about the volume. We will get 230,000 passengers today. I get a lot of positive feedback about the service experience, but that doesn't outweigh the fact that we have challenges and we have complaints,and we take those seriously. But overwhelmingly--

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

One complaint is too many, but out of that 230,000 today, how many complaints do you expect to get on official bilingualism?

[Luc Portelance]

Well, if you do the average, it will probably be zero, because we had 35 last year.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Mr. Lauzon.

We will conclude this first round with our witness with Monsieur Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I have three minutes left. May I ask my question?

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Go ahead, Mr. Godin, the floor is yours.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Has the Clerk of the Privy Council given you any instructions regarding official languages in recent years?

[Luc Portelance]

I haven't received any specific instructions, except with regard to my role as president—because we belong to the public service. As deputy head, I'm responsible for managing this file.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

You don't have any specific instructions from the Privy Council!

I understand you have a responsibility, and I know you're intelligent enough to know you have one. You supposedly have to offer bilingual services.

So the Clerk of the Privy Council has never given you any specific directives in recent years?

[Luc Portelance]

First, I started occupying my position on November 15. The directive comes from the deputy head. I don't have any specific directives, except that it must be understood that we are responsible for the administration of a number of acts.

Secondly, all our senior executives have management obligations regarding official languages under their performance agreements.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I understand; I know the act. I asked you a question and you answered it; that's good.

When you advertise jobs in Windsor, for example, do you say you're looking for bilingual employees?

[Luc Portelance]

If the positions are bilingual, yes, we advertise for bilingual people. We hire people on an imperative basis; their applications have to be consistent with the job profile.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

We're only talking about the nine positions you referred to earlier, those you need for a booth. You're not going to force matters so you have a position openly advertised on the Internet, for example, for Windsor so that people say to themselves that they're going to move to Windsor and apply for the job.

[Luc Portelance]

There is nevertheless that flexibility, but staffing is done regionally, and the directors general fill the positions based on needs.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Are all the 1,000 jobs at the Quebec border crossings bilingual?

[Luc Portelance]

That's the case.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Are they all bilingual?

[Luc Portelance]

Yes.

[Pierre Sabourin]

Four of them are not bilingual.

[Luc Portelance]

That's correct; four of them are not.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Four employees are not bilingual.

[Luc Portelance]

That's correct.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Do you mean for all of Quebec?

[Luc Portelance]

Four employees cannot meet the linguistic profile. You have to consider that the vast majority of clients at the Quebec border are anglophones coming from the United States.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

So you absolutely want to serve the anglophone clientele, but not necessarily the country's act.